My husband, Dr. William H. Reading, and I love traveling. It breaks up the year with interest, hopefulness, longing, and excitement. Traveling with friends on a girls’ trip, which I do several times a year, is also quite enjoyable, as are family and couples’ trips. But during our last trip, which included a pilgrimage to Croatia, Portugal, and France, among other destinations, it was a challenge to get everything in and accomplished, at least in terms of our enthusiasm and expectations. 

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We love reading about and exploring new places and situations. But what seems to be an adventure can quickly turn into a caveat of cautions and near catastrophes if one isn’t careful. That nice, relaxing vacation can quickly turn south for a surprise no one wants. But the good news is that being prepared is not only therapeutic and preventative, it is also more anxiety reducing before, during, and after the journey. 

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Also, just getting out can have both mental and physical benefits, and resets can be both impactful and necessary for life’s journey for you and those around you. This can be transforming, and actually was, for both Dr. Reading and myself.

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Remember, too, that with excitement or relaxation comes a change in body chemistry. “Feel good”  hormones can definitely improve your overall mood. A change in diet and exercise can also be beneficial. We walked between 9,000 and 17,000 steps per day. Our diet was healthy normal fare for the locations we were in.

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During our pilgrimage, and, yes, these places were holy, as they were locations where there had been sightings of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we were called pilgrims, travelers from afar. This term was of special significance to us, and we conformed with a different mindset to not just being students but to being true observers of history and faith. Along the way, we encountered both wonders and challenges. The latter, as always, can be blessings as well. The key to most of the trip was planning what we could and actually enjoying the present. I journaled along the way and found some key factors for improving my mood, health, and interactions. I would like to share some of them here.

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Preplanning
Plan what you can in advance. This will help with both anxiety and worry. You can’t plan for everything, but you can plan some things well in advance. I, for one, like to print things off and to have them digitally. I like to see my itinerary without having to pull it up on my phone all the time. I write  in my folder things I don’t want to forget, when I think of them. That can be any time of the day or night, but I feel at peace to  have it all in one place. So organization is necessary for me to be less anxious. I even took an extra phone, which came in handy. But be careful NOT to overpack. I did that on the way back!

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Self-Care
It takes a lot out of us to prepare for a trip: the planning, cost, and cultivation of it, so be sure not to sabotage it, before, during, or after. Take care of yourself before the trip by not going overboard with a flurry of non-stop activity that will tire you. Be mindful of your calendar and don’t overschedule yourself. Try to get enough sleep and rest. If you will be doing a lot of walking on your trip, try to get up to speed on your steps. Increase some physical activity so you are not exhausted on your trip. Make yourself a priority with your physical health concerns. Try to limit your presence around a lot of people, if you can, so as to not subject yourself to illness. It would be a shame to get sick right before your trip. Skip some things right before if need be to get rest, especially right before your trip. 

While on your trip, self-care is just as important. It can be a marathon! If you need to rest, then rest! Save your strength for more important excursions, and don’t feel like you have to attend every single thing. Pick and choose wisely those things you most value. Some people may say, you can rest when you get home, but that’s not self-care.

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Not Getting Distracted
I did not think so much in these terms before this trip. While on this spiritual journey, we wanted to take in as much as we could without being distracted. These are some distractions you will want to try to avoid:

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Concentrating  on problems instead of fulfilling your trip’s dreams and expectations. Problem solve or let it go for the moment.

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Not being in the present, daydreaming, worrying about things back home, or anything that takes you away from enjoying the moment. Be mindful. Be in the present.

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Other people. That’s not to say you shouldn’t socialize because that has benefits too. But balance out your time. Taking time for yourself, also, to process and reflect on your journey is important, too.

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Angry or disturbing thoughts. Accept your feelings, but don’t allow them to ruin your trip. Reframe your thoughts to succumb to the advantage of how to proceed in a way that keeps your focus on the trip.

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Physical problems. Watch your diet for digestive problems, and  be careful with any physical demands of the vacation. Having a fall or accident can ruin a trip and endanger your journey. That is not to say, you shouldn’t take any chances, but be wise and realistic in your choices.

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Being uncomfortable. Dress for comfort, and be prepared for inclement weather. Also, bring meds that you think you might need and things on your trip to enhance your comfort level, like travel blankets, eye masks, neck pillows, noise-cancelling headphones, and so on.

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Overthinking. You can be pensive, but don’t overthink things as overthinking causes anxiety and worry. You don’t need your body to overproduce cortisol. 

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Over shopping. While shopping is great, and I am a shopper, it can be a big distractor! Decide in advance what it is you want to buy if you can. Impulse shopping can take you away from your  goals of seeing what you came to see and experience. It also compromises luggage space on the return trip and results in having to pay outrageous fees.

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Enjoying your trips, travel, and vacations is necessary for a stress-reduced life and good for your mental, physical, spiritual and emotional health. They don’t have to be extravagant breaks, but they should be relaxing and hopefully meaningful. Looking forward to your travels is part of the sensations of excitement and even hope. Balancing life, family, and work can be a challenge in and of itself. We all need breaks. But making the most of our vacations sometimes takes intent and thought. I hope my suggestions help you make a more thoughtful plan of how to avoid some pitfalls of an otherwise pleasant period of leisure. Take care and safe travels.